In the Making Sense of Science series – launched today by Frontiers’ Policy Labs in partnership with the International Science Council (ISC) – world leading scientists, including scientific experts and knowledge brokers from the ISC Fellowship, give insights into how science should be understood by the public and applied to policies that affect societies worldwide.

In the face of global threats – health crises, climate change, war – we need political will, global collaboration, inter- and transdisciplinary approaches, systems thinking and scientific breakthroughs at a scale not yet seen. On all those counts, success will depend heavily on the widespread sharing and uptake of the latest scientific knowledge, but also on a novel approach to designing science, through co-design that reflects the aspirations and expectations of multiple stakeholders other than scientists themselves – society in short. In this regard, public trust in scientific knowledge is key.

In the Making Sense of Science series contributors bring their perspectives to what science is, and how it can contribute to finding solutions to large scale societal challenges. In a diverse collection, articles range from exploring how we make sense of science in an age of AI to how sense-making is nuanced and can incorporate diverse forms of knowledge and insight. The series aims to develop dialogue and explore different perspectives on the role of science in providing foresight for decision-making. The contributions also examine the risk of science and certainty in policy-making at different scales and in different contexts, and what we can learn, un-learn and e-learn about meaningful and impactful science engagement.

Commenting on the series, Dr Salvatore Aricò CEO, International Science Council, said:

“This new partnership between the International Science Council and Frontiers aims to build public understanding of science and its societal value in shaping informed policies for a sustainable future. Through this series of opinion pieces, we invite diverse voices to engage in meaningful dialogue, bridging gaps between scientific knowledge and societal needs, and ultimately ensuring that science serves as a cornerstone for effective decision-making in the 21st century.”

Co-editor of the Making Sense of Science series and Policy Labs editorial board member, Professor Ruth Morgan, added:

“Science and scientists have an important role to play as we lay foundations that will direct the course of the future. This collection explores some of the intersections, synergies, and tensions of science and its applications in society, and creates an opportunity to question, imagine, and come together to shape a future that serves societies and our planet. It is our hope that this series of commentaries on the critical issues of sense-making and trust in science fosters an ongoing dialogue and raises new questions that will move us forward.”

Professor Jean-Claude Burgelman, Chief Editor, Frontiers Policy Labs, underlined the importance of science and policy working together:

“Making Sense of Science, and science policy exemplifies the Policy Labs mission: working with preeminent and committed partners, such as the International Science Council, to draw together diverse and provocative opinions on the critical interplay between science and policy for public good. I hope readers are as challenged and inspired by these insights as we at Policy Labs have been in producing them. ”

Below are some highlighted quotes from the wide-ranging, incisive, and challenging contributions in the series:

“A critical issue is that much of the research conducted in developing countries still follows a model that prioritises academic metrics over societal impact.”
‘Rebuilding Trust and Embracing Diverse Knowledge Systems: A perspective from Developing Countries’ by Dr Yousuf Al Bulushi, CEO AWJ Innovation, Oman; Associate Deputy Rector for Innovation and Educational Services GUtech, Oman, Fellow of the International Science Council   

“By analogy, we could imagine a kind of ‘scientific evidence liability,’ not with a view to establishing a legal framework, but to encourage the providers of ‘scientific evidence,’ i.e. scientists, to establish a relationship of trust with their users, e.g. ‘policymakers.’ To put this idea into practice, as a first step, we can define, through an open and humble dialogue between ‘scientists’ and ‘policymakers,’ a list of principles to be respected in order to use ‘scientific evidence’ in policy making with precaution.”
‘Making sense of science in the 21st century – A personal view’ by Professor Emeritus Yuko Harayama, Tohoku University, Japan; Secretary General, GPAI Tokyo Expert Support Centre, Japan, Fellow of the International Science Council   

“As the International Science Council (ISC) says, it is time to flip the science model. To put it upside down by mobilising massive capacities at the service of people and the planet. Science has shown that a balance between human wellbeing and planetary health is achievable, and that equity is the cornerstone of that balance.”
‘Science for a Second Chance on Earth?’ by Carlos Alvarez Pereira, Secretary General, The Club of Rome 

“The ISC and the International Network for Government Science Advice (INGSA) have proposed redefining the role of the scientist to include ‘knowledge synthesizers,’ ‘knowledge brokers,’ and ‘knowledge communicators’ alongside traditional ‘knowledge generators.’ This inspiring proposal must be openly discussed and embraced by society and the scientific community.”
‘What is science and who is a scientist in the 21st Century?’ by Professor Tateo Arimoto, Executive Research Fellow of Economic and Social Research Institute at the Cabinet Office, Japan; Director of Research Institute of S&T for Society at JST, Japan, Fellow of the International Science Council  

“[I]ncreasing specialization in science creates barriers to inclusivity and understanding, particularly in policy and decision-making. Breakthroughs in artificial intelligence, genomics, and climate science exacerbates this issue, as compartmentalization makes it harder for non-experts to grasp these advances.”
‘Science is a way of thinking much more than it is a body of knowledge’ by Professor Huadong Guo, Director-General of the International Research Centre of Big Data for Sustainable Development Goals (CBAS), China; Professor of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) Aerospace Information Research Institute, Fellow of the International Science Council 

“Developing the foundation to strengthen trust in science in today’s young generation will build the basis of decision-making for the very same generation when they have risen to hold critical stakeholder positions.”
‘Trusting in Science? But for how long?’ by Cyrus Walther, CODATA Executive Committee Member; IUPAP Vice-Chair Physics and Industry, Geneva; Fellow of the International Science Council 

“Questions today about ‘trust in science’ or ‘making sense of science’ are an outcome of policies created for momentary political effect without forward-looking implementation, as happens with uninformed decisions, like walking out of the World Health Organization in the middle of a pandemic.”
‘Inclusion and Common-Interest Building with Science for Sustainability’ by Professor Paul Arthur Berkman, Head of the Arctic Ocean Geopolitics Programme at the Scott Polar Research Institute, University of Cambridge, UK;  Research Professor at the Bren School of Environmental Science and Management at the University of California, Santa Barbara, USA, Fellow of the International Science Council 

“I am constantly surprised that there is not more unease about how relying on AI, a glorified form of look-up table, can sidestep the need for understanding, the kind that can give the public real insights into how the world works. The foundations of public engagement rest on providing a mechanistic view and yet the rise of AI erects a barrier to understanding of science.”
‘The more AI, the less understanding?’ by Roger Highfield OBE FRSB FMedSci, Science Director of the Science Museum Group, UK